Bacon is either cured or uncured while all bacon is soaked in brine to give it flavor and prevent botulism. It is traditionally cured using a mixture of salt, water and synthetic sodium nitrite that acts as a preservative and made by mixing Nitrates, a naturally occurring compound in plants, with certain bacteria. Uncured bacon uses natural nitrates found in juice, sea salt and celery powder to achieve a similar taste, so uncured bacon does not have potentially harmful chemicals akin to sodium nitrite.
Cured vs Uncured Bacon: Similarities
When meat is sold, it must either be raw or preserved, and the latter usually keeps it fresh, preventing spoilage. Sometimes, bacon is smoked, but usually it is cured to prepare for sale. No matter cured or uncured bacon, it is actually cured. "Cured" here when we talk about meat means preserved. Cured and uncured bacon have several things in common, like:
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They are both made from pork belly.
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They are both soaked in brine to prevent botulism.
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They are interchangeable when cooking.
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Both have roughly the same calories.
